The arrest of ruling party Janata Dal (United) legislator Anant Singh in a kidnapping case led to protests in Mokama and Barh on Thursday where his supporters disrupted rail and road traffic and the police had to use force to disperse them. The ‘bahubali’ MLA was sent to judicial custody late on Wednesday night for two weeks but what baffled everyone in the State was how did the Nitish Kumar government lay its hands on the MLA, with a long history of crime.
After talking with the police, people, and political leaders across party lines, The Hindu pieced together the actual reason.
The arrest of the three-time Mokama MLA, in fact, has to do with the upcoming Assembly elections in the caste-ridden State where every political party and leader is trying to consolidate their caste base to ensure their victory.
According to the police, on June 17, four youths of the Yadav caste were abducted from Barh by the henchmen of Anant Singh. The allegation was that they had teased a woman, distantly related to the MLA. Next day, the body of one of the abducted youth Putush alias Pawan Yadav was recovered from the outskirts of Ladma, the MLA’s village. The other three were reportedly let off after being thrashed.
The incident triggered violent protest by the Yadavs in Barh.RJD chief Lalu Prasad later demanded action against Anant Singh. “I telephoned Nitish Kumar and asked him to take action against the MLA,” Mr. Prasad told journalists. According to sources, Mr. Prasad reportedly said that “if action is not taken against Anant Singh immediately, their alliance would have to pay a heavy price in the upcoming poll.” [The JD(U) and the RJD are fighting the Bihar polls together.]
